Mochi
by HappyTheDragon
Summary: All he wanted was to catch a break from his ever busy life, and what better place for that than his late mother's favorite park. Too bad the place is overrun with mascots now, not to mention the rabbit that keeps offering him balloons as if he were one of the children. Peace and quiet only seem to evade him these days. At least rabbits never talk much.


A crowd of children and a rabbit. Chase watched from a bench, his arms draping over the back. He straightened up then, his hands coming forward to open the book on his lap once again. There was no need to worry about unwanted company sitting next to him, as a guitar case took up the space on the bench that would otherwise be unoccupied by him. He marked something in the book before looking up at the children crowding the rabbit again. There was a grunt from him. Mascots weren't really a thing in this park when he was a child. It was more peaceful when he came with his now deceased mother. Now it was hard to make it very far without a bear or a duck waving fervently at you. He couldn't recall having seen this rabbit before today, though. Of course, he usually only came to this park on Wednesdays or onwards and today was a Tuesday. He needed an earlier break this week he supposed. So did this rabbit only show up once a week, then? Strange, as the others seemed to be present almost always. Well, this rabbit certainly seemed to be more popular than the rest of the mascots if that crowd of children was anything to go by.

The rabbit made a motion and suddenly the children formed a singular line to it's side. It even had more respect and authority than the others. Chase couldn't help but smirk at the thought. He'd taken note that when the other mascots tried doing something with the children it usually ended with them being used as a punching bag or treated as a mountain to climb. Yet, here was this newbie rabbit making these snot nosed brats look like angelic things capable of following reasonable orders. And just like that, the line thinned out as the rabbit handed out a colorful array of balloons, one by one until left standing alone, the children having returned to their parent's sides, bright smiles on their faces. A promise of return.

A barely pink balloon attached to bright red string was the only thing keeping the rabbit company. It stood unmoving, the balloon swaying above. Chase wondered if it was possible to fall asleep in that costume. He blinked, shaking the thought from his head. He returned to his book, the rabbit forgotten for the time being.

He kept his mind on what he read. The world around him dissolved and only the words on the pages in front him existed. Yes, this is how he preferred to spend his time. And now that the screaming children were gone he could concentrate fully on his reading. Concentrate fully. Concentrate fully. His nose crinkled. He placed a finger or two on his forehead. A strange sensation he was feeling. He closed his eyes. It felt like someone was staring a hole through him. He was being watched, but by whom? Had his father, stepmother even, sent someone to keep an eye on him? It was highly probable, even if he had been staying out of trouble recently. No trust. It only made him want to act out more. At least then they'd have reason to send someone. A sigh. His head fell back, eyes closed and arms outstretched once again. He jolted. He leaned forward, staring at the rabbit with eyes somewhat widened. It was still standing still, single balloon still floating above. No, it had moved closer. He was sure of it. It was slowly, but surely moving towards him. It was the rabbit. It had to be. That damned rabbit was staring holes into him. He shifted, pulling the guitar case at his side closer to himself. He shoved the book he had been trying to read back into his bag. There was no way he was letting that rabbit come closer to him. No way was he dealing with weirdos today.

He reached into the pocket of his coat, retrieving his phone, but something fell out as he pulled it out. He looked down at his feet to pick up what had fallen, and as he rose he was greeted by frills on an apron and a permanent smile. Had he been someone else he might have let out a terrified yelp. But he wasn't someone else. He was Chase Young and Chase Young does not yelp. Not even when a weird rabbit moves in on you in half of a split second without making a sound. All he really did was freeze as he stared up at the rabbit towering over him, glossy black beads for eyes staring back. Actually, now that it was this close, it really didn't tower over him much. It was surprisingly short for a mascot, and he could only imagine how tiny the person inside was. Still, he didn't dare move from under the rabbit's gaze. He waited for whatever person was inside to say something, preferably something that confirmed he wasn't dealing with a psycho. A few more lengthy seconds passed before he decided to speak first after all, lest this silent game go on any longer. "Wha-"

And just like that he was interrupted. Not by words but rather by an action. The rabbit stuck out an arm, dangling the ribbon of the balloon in front of Chase. Chase stared at the glossy red ribbon before looking back up at the rabbit again, eyes narrowing. If he shot an annoyed glare at the rabbit, perhaps it would get the message and leave him be. No one would be stupid enough to continue interacting with someone that looked at you like that. Oh, but was he wrong to think that. This rabbit was relentless. It stood its ground, even leaning a bit forward, balloon string still in grasp. It was really insistent.

 _Oh, just take it will you,_ the rabbit thought, or rather the person inside did. _You look so dark and grouchy, you should at least have something bright... You're lucky your face is not that bad._

She shook the ribbon, hoping Chase would take it in his own hand, but a las he was as stubborn as she. She leaned more forward, and if Chase could he would lean more back. He was growing uneasy. Too bad he was trapped between this stupid bench and this annoying rabbit. It wasn't until a woman happened to stroll by with her child that Chase got a lucky break.

"Mama, it's Mochi!" The boy announced excitedly. The rabbit stood straight upon hearing her name. She spun on her foot and gave the mother son duo a salute before marching over to meet the two. She stopped but an inch before them, the mother giggling as Mochi the rabbit ruffled her son's hair. The boy chirped ecstatically as Mochi tied her singular balloon around his wrist. Mochi gave a nod before bouncing up and down, the boy laughing as she did. The mother gave her thanks before ushering her son along, saying that they still had many errands to run, but that they would visit Mochi again next time. The rabbit waved goodbye to them both even after they had turned their backs.

When she was sure she'd done enough waving, she turned her attention back to the bench Chase had occupied only to find it now stood empty. Except, there was something small littering the otherwise empty bench. A guitar pick upon closer inspection. She picked it up turning it over, wanderings of whether she'd meet that guy again invading her mind. She had to return this pick after all. She stuck it in the pocket of her apron, looking up at the ever changing sky. It was getting late. So, with her mascot duties done for the day, she turned tail and hopped away.

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 **Happy Note: Mmm, I recently downloaded the fanfiction app thinking that I could upload stories from my phone (that would really be a time saver), but sadly that's not possible. ;_; Anyway, I hope this was a nice first chapter for setting up this AU. I know I have other stories I should be working on, but I have so many ideas I might spend the time writing multiple first chapters. We'll see.**

 **Thank you for your patience and support.**


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